


The Intern

by Minavi



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Drabble Sequence, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Multi, Romantic Comedy, Workplace Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:47:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26551585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minavi/pseuds/Minavi
Summary: Aspiring Ambassadors to the Fae Realms must complete an internship and Sarah's is a doozy. A story told in 100 word drabbles.Takes place in a full AU where the realm of humanity has become connected to and formed foreign relationships with the multiple worlds of the Fae.  This is a full AU wherein the events of the movie never took place.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	1. Plan

**Author's Note:**

> Please permit me a brief ramble. It has been years and years since I've written anything and I feared it was out of my blood for good, but recently I've been reading the work of Forthright and their stories told in snippets inspired me and gave me hope that perhaps this was a format that could draw out my latent writer. So expect a full story but told in "chapters" of exactly 100 words. This is intended to be a lighthearted romp, so please don't take anything too seriously. And don't worry, this will be JarethxSarah, it may just take a bit to get there. :)

She was one of those children who always knew exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up, though she refined her plan through the years. She wanted to be a part of the magical kingdoms. At first she planned to marry one of the kingdoms rulers and be queen, but by the time she graduated high school she’d settled on the more attainable goal of Human Ambassador. One degree in Political Science of the Fae Realms, with a minor in History of the Fae Realms, and she was ready.

All she had to do was complete her internship.


	2. The Letter

_Dear Sarah Williams…_ blah blah blah… _Congratulations on your degree and honors…_ blah blah blah… _You have been selected for a prestigious placement in our internship program-_

“Yes! Come on Fairy Kingdom, come on Fairy Kingdom! Or maybe the mermaids? Ooh or maybe the gnomes, they have the coolest inventions! Or… dare I hope for an appointment to the Fae Court?” She burst into excited giggles but quickly calmed herself and returned her gaze to the creamy parchment. 

Where was- oh- _...You have therefore been selected for the honor of placement...in the… Goblin… Kingdom._

Parchment slipped from numb fingers.


	3. Coffee

“Come on, it can’t be that bad,” her friend said around a mouthful of bagel. “Who will you be working under?”

“I don’t even know,” she replied, “I tried to look up some info on the Human Ambassador to the Goblin Kingdom and I couldn’t find anything, even in the school’s database. It’s bizarre.”

“Ok, but at least their king is hot, right? I’ve seen him in the tabloids.”

“He’s Fae. They’re _all_ hot.”

“But he has that wild thing, bad boy look. Most of them are all ethereal and perfect.”

“I guess… if you’re into that sort of thing.”


	4. Maternal Advice

“I don’t know,” her step-mother said. “That doesn’t sound safe. Aren’t they all baby stealers and little monsters?”

“That is just a harmful stereotype and you should know better than to use the m-word, Karen!” Sarah exclaimed. “They may be very different, but they’re still thinking, feeling people.” They’d had this discussion too many times to count. Karen never understood Sarah’s ambitions to work in the Fae Realms. Where would she meet a nice human boy, if she was always surrounded by pixies, ogres and things?

“Well, just remember that you can always come home if things don’t work out.”


	5. Packing

Sarah looked over the generic internship checklist again as she stood over her well-stuffed suitcase. “Most kingdoms have the decency to send a specific list of suggested supplies,” she grouched, deciding a few more sets of underpants certainly couldn’t hurt. At least she would be unlikely to need anything too specialized like a wetsuit or heavy-duty parka. 

“Mostly just business suits and casual wear for when I’m off the clock. If they wanted me to bring anything special, they’ll just have to provide it themselves.” She shut the suitcase.

“I wonder if there are swimming pools in the Goblin Kingdom?”


	6. The Portal

Sarah regarded the groups waiting to enter various kingdoms. Some looked like human tourists; some were natives on their way home. The largest crowds, of course, surrounded the Fairy Kingdom and the Fae Court. Those were always tourism hot-spots.

“The portal for the Satyr Kingdom will open in one minute. Please move through in a quick and orderly manner. No pushing, please.”

She finally found the gate she sought, tucked way back in a corner. The portal only opened once a week, unlike others which opened daily or even hourly, and yet she was the only one waiting to cross.


	7. First Impressions

“The portal is now closing, please stand clear.”

Sarah felt distinctly over-dressed in her navy blue dress suit and heels, hair pulled up in a neat twist. The station on this side was little more than a platform and sign, dirty and worn, reading “Goblin Kingdom.” 

“Well, at least this is the right place,” she said, looking up at the orangish sky. She never had outgrown the habit of talking to herself, especially when she was nervous.

Then her eyes lit on a figure, short and a mass of wrinkles, holding a piece of paper that read, “MISS WILAM” upside-down. 


	8. Arrival

It took her a moment to realize that he was a dwarf.  _ A beardless dwarf, how odd. _ But, determined to make a good impression, she smiled and made her way over. “I am Miss Williams, are you waiting for me?”

“S’what the sign says, ain’t it?” he asked, gruffly. He looked her up and down with watery, blue eyes. He did not appear impressed. “Come on, then.” He turned and began to trudge away.

“We’re walking?” she asked, surprised.

“T’ain’t far.”

_ Easy for him to say _ , she thought, trying to drag her heavy suitcase along the rough, rock-strewn dirt path. 


	9. Dust

Dust tickled her nose and she sneezed. She’d been to a few realms on holiday and all had human-centric areas surrounding their portals, with cars, hotels, and the like. Things may have been wilder outside of the tourist zones, depending on the race, but many of the magical folk had adopted at least some of the human technologies. As her suitcase thumped noisily over the cobblestone streets of the imaginatively named Goblin City, Sarah decided that this place was the exception. 

Her heel sunk into a deep crack and snapped. Her guide glanced back but didn’t slow. 

Sarah limped on.


	10. Watchers

Eyes peeked out at her from behind tattered drapes and down dark alleyways. Beady and buggy, round and slit, of every color imaginable. Sarah tried smiling politely at them, at first, but none left their hiding spot and some ducked away timidly when they realized she’d noticed them.

It was like they were afraid of humans, she fretted. Or maybe like they’d never seen one. Her stomach churned with anxiety and she resolved to have a word or two with the Human Ambassador, when she discovered who they were.

“Here we are.”

Sarah looked up in awe at the castle.


	11. Castle

“We’re working out of the castle? Isn’t there an embassy or something?” Though as the words left her mouth she felt silly. This place clearly didn’t put a priority on goblin-human relations.

The castle was strangely beautiful, though, seemingly half carved out of the massive stone spire it encircled and perched upon. Huge spikes, like teeth from a mammoth dragon, jutted up around it and fanciful arches and buttresses adorned it. She was a little giddy at the thought of actually working there.

“Welcome to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City,” he said.

“Who names these places?” she asked, amused.


	12. Office

After maneuvering her suitcase up more stairs than she wanted to think about, the dwarf led her to a small room with a couple of old, wooden desks and shelves lining two walls. Paper was everywhere, mounds of it on either desk, scrolls and documents shoved haphazardly onto the shelves, and piles of books in the corners. Cobwebs hung heavy from the ceiling and dust abounded.

He stumped over to one desk, sitting down and kicking his feet up on a low stack of books. “Welcome to the Embassy,” he said with a snort.

“Erm... at least there’s a window?”


	13. Ambassador

“When will I meet the ambassador?” she asked with trepidation. . 

“You’re lookin’ at him,” the dwarf said. He patted his chest with a large hand. “Name’s Hoggle.” A bug was scuttling across his desk and he smashed it down, leaving a blot on an official-looking document. His voice dropped to a mutter that invited no questions, “Lot better than my last job, at least.”

“But you’re not human!” she exclaimed, shocked.

“Nah, none of them comes here. Not ‘til you, at least. But I fills out the paper work so I’m the ambassador.” He laughed at her expression of dismay.


	14. Coworkers

“What about the others?” Sarah asked.

“Other what?” 

“The other ambassadors,” she said, “To the other fae realms. The… the giants and the elves and whatnot!” 

“S’me,” he replied, grinning.

“You’re the ambassador to  _ all _ the realms?” Her voice held a note of panic. What had she gotten herself into?

“Nah, just everythin’ with two legs. Didymus does the creatures with more legs an’ Ludo does everythin’ else.”

“How… How can… Three?” Sarah sank into the chair at the opposite desk. It was too small for her.

“Ludo can’t even read,” he chortled. He was enjoying this way too much.


	15. Why me?

“Let me get this straight,” Sarah said, rubbing her temple. “Three dwarves take care of all the ambassadorial work for this entire kingdom-”

“Nah,” he cut in, “Didymus is a fox and Ludo’s a…. Well, I ain’t sure what he is, but he ain’t a dwarf.”

“And there are no humans here.”

“Not one. King doesn’t like ‘em much.”

“Then  _ why  _ did you request a human intern?”

He pulled open one of the desk drawers. “On account of this,” he said, pulling something out and plopping it onto the desk in front of her. It was a battered, old flip-phone.


	16. Questions

She lifted the cellphone, noting that it was at 8% battery. “I don’t understand,” she said, carefully.

“Feh, course you don’t,” Hoggle replied. “Everythin’ in the human world has gotten all technological. We could manage when it was just typewriters and telegraphs but now you got them fancy computers and e-documents and I ain’t got any idea what’s what!” He scowled, looking highly offended.

“Yes, I suppose that makes sense,” she murmured, looking around. “Do you have a computer for me? And an internet connection?”

He gestured to the out-dated phone in her hand. “Can’t you do it on that?”


	17. Dismay

Sarah gazed, unseeing, at the pile of papers on the desk.  _ Her _ desk. “I graduated magna cum laude,” she said, vacantly. “Hundreds of hours of volunteer work. A note of recommendation from the Human Ambassador to the Fae Courts.”

“That’s nice,” Hoggle said, utterly disinterested.

“If I… If I perform poorly on this internship… This could set me back ages.”

“Poor thing,” he said, patting her hand condescendingly. His skin felt like a crusty burlap sack. “Oh well, let’s go.”

“...go?” She stared at him, eyes glazed.

“Gotta get your stuff to the bunk and show you to the king.”


	18. Accomodations

The room was dirty with two small windows, barely more than arrow slits. Ragged hammocks hung on three of the walls and a large pile of hay graced the center of the room. Three wooden dressers sat on the floor, one by each hammock. Hoggle gestured grandly as he entered, “And here’s the ambassadorial suite!” He pointed to her left. “You’re there.”

Resigned, she stood her suitcase next to her dresser. “Only three, um, ‘beds’?”

“Ludo prefers sleepin’ there,” Hoggle replied, pointing to the hay.

“And his dresser?”

He gave her his most amused grin yet. “Ludo don’t wear clothes.”


	19. Preparation

Sarah changed into her black loafers, tossing the ruined shoe into a corner for the time being. She considered checking her make-up, but there was no mirror and she was afraid to ask about bathroom facilities. With a shrug, she allowed Hoggle to lead her to the king. 

The passages twisted and turned with seemingly no rhyme nor reason. She was certain she would spend the first three months of her internship lost. There was a cacophony in the room Hoggle brought her to, the throne room it seemed, and there Sarah got her first look at the Goblin King.


	20. Presentation

He was sprawled on an odd throne, a leg kicked over one arm and head dangling over the other. He stared at the ceiling, the image of boredom itself. He had wild blond hair, a loose poet’s shirt and leather vest, and his pants-

Sarah blushed and brought her eyes quickly back to his face.  _ Tight _ .

“What is it Heckle?” he asked, without looking at them.

“Hoggle, Yer Majesty, I brought the new intern, the one I told you about?”

His eye might have darted to her for a second, but she couldn’t be sure. “Very good, you may go.”


	21. Determination

Twilight fell and Sarah leaned out the office window, watching the moon rise. It was huge and glimmered like a crystal ball, alien and breath-taking. This was why Sarah longed for a place in the fae realms. To see all the wonders and meet the people, something unpredictable each day.

Determination warred with dismay in her heart and, as so often happened in Sarah Williams, determination quickly won out. 

She’d done impossible jobs before. She would take this joke of an embassy and make something of it. She would be the best damn intern the Goblin Kingdom had ever seen!


	22. Sweet Dreams

Sarah tried to get comfortable in the itchy hammock as the ambassadors snored in three-part harmony. Didymus was very enthusiastic and Ludo was a teddybear, but she quailed to think how they performed their duties and how that affected  _ her  _ job.

“One week,” she muttered to the only star visible through the window. “The portal to the Human Realm opens in one week. Then at least I can get some decent supplies.”

She began making a list in her mind and that allowed her to relax and begin drifting towards sleep. Sarah rolled over and fell out of her hammock.


	23. Connection

She was relieved to learn that the king had begrudgingly allowed electricity into the Goblin Kingdom, though less so when she discovered that the only outlet in the whole place was at the portal station. With many grumbles, she settled herself to sit on the ground at the base of the wooden sign and plugged the flip-phone in to charge. 

While she waited, she took out the notebook that she kept in her purse, transcribing her list from the previous night.

When the phone was finally ready, she made the call. “Dad? It’s Sarah; can you do me a favor?”


	24. Order

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting organized. She gathered all the documents from both offices (Ludo and Didymus shared) and separated them out by realm of origin. Didymus was happy to shred the redundant and out-dated ones with his sharp little claws. 

She handed the piles off to their respective representatives, the more urgent forms at the top, and kept the entire human pile for herself. The rooms were far less panic-inducing with neat stacks, and would be even better if she could manage to get some filing cabinets. Sarah was rather proud.

“Bah,” Hoggle opined, “Won’t last.”


	25. Grub

Meals were served in the mess hall, a name that was highly accurate given the diners. Sarah finally got to meet some of the goblins she’d seen during her visit to the throne room. She found them to be… rambunctious and extremely mischievous, but generally good-hearted. 

A goblin named Gumbo gave her a glass of water with a hole in it so that it dribbled all down her front when she drank. In retaliation, she loosened the lid of the salt shaker before passing it to him.

After that, to her gratification, she was considered just one of the gang.


	26. Furnishings

“Who do I see about getting some new furniture for the office?”

Hoggle stared at her blankly.

“Some filing cabinets for the documents and maybe a chair that doesn’t put my chin on my knees?”

“The king.”

“Surely he has someone to handle little issues like that for him?” Sarah thought about asking something of the cold monarch who hadn’t even deemed to look at her and shivered. Her professors had been very clear: when possible, deal with the underlings rather than the fae themselves.

“Nah, he does just about everything here.” Hoggle cackled, “S’why just about nothing gets done!”


	27. Midnight Stroll

Her back hurt. It had only been three days but between the hammock and the definitely  _ not  _ ergonomic chair, she had aches and no aspirin to soothe them. 

She tip-toed out of the sleeping room and decided to take a nighttime walk through the castle, being sure to turn left at every juncture so she could find her way back. She’d managed to procure a stack of candles and one of them lit her way.

As she turned another corner, letting her mind wander to her plans for the morrow, she noticed a faint, silvery glow ahead. It was him.


	28. Encounter

He lounged in a large window, dressed all in white with a barely-there silver nimbus surrounding him. Gazing out over his kingdom, he did not seem to be aware of her presence and Sarah found herself unwilling to disturb him. She did take the opportunity to get a good look at him, though.

He was beautiful, of course, with odd markings around his eyes and lips pulled down into a slight scowl. He still looked bored, she thought, but something more. Something she couldn’t put her finger on.

She turned to go. “It’s impolite to stare,” came a mocking voice.


	29. Defiance

“I…” Sarah straightened and bowed formally, as she’d been taught was proper for fae nobility. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, Your Majesty.”

Finally, he looked at her. His voice dripped with amusement. “Such pretty manners amongst the swine. I hadn’t expected you to hold out this long.” A tiny smirk failed to reach his cold, mismatched eyes.

So he knew how much she struggled and found it entertaining? She could have used this opportunity to ask for much needed supplies but her stubborn pride reared up and her chin tilted up along with it.

“It’s a piece of cake.”


	30. Pajamas

The wry twist of his lips became more genuine as her stubbornness flared. He stood and moved to look down at her. She found herself desperately wishing that she were not facing the Goblin King in her ladybug pajamas and bare feet. 

Slowly, he circled her and the smell of him, like earthy sandalwood and Pop Rocks, tickled her nose. The tingle of strong magic brushed her skin. She forced her back straight and her shoulders square, weathering his judgement. 

“Bold,” he pronounced, finishing his circuit. He crossed his arms and for a moment looked very regal. “Bold and headstrong.”


	31. Introductions

“What are you called?” he asked, both imperious and as if he could not possibly care less.

“Miss Williams,” she replied, knowing better than to offer her full name. Even lesser beings like dwarves could use a name against you, so family names alone were the standard among human representatives in the fae realms. Hoggle had taken to simply calling her Missy.

“Miss Willaims,” he repeated, his voice taking on an interesting quality, as if testing the feel of it on his tongue.. “I will remember it.”

And with that he turned and calmly dropped himself out of the window.


	32. Wings

She moved to the window and looked down, curious but not overly alarmed by his actions. A lovely, golden barn owl spread its wings and silently took flight away from the castle. She watched him wheel across the pale moon before disappearing from her sight, another flash of starlight amidst the heavens. Sarah tamped down a bit of foolish jealousy. To be able to transform herself and fly free…

But magic in humans was rare and small. The best she could hope was to become a participant in the Fae Realms; she could never truly be a part of them.


	33. Surprise

“Did you ask him for this?”

Hoggle snorted dismissively, “I don’t ever talk to His Royal Poofiness if I can help it.”

Sarah frowned in consternation, reviewing the encounter of the previous night. She’d never voiced a request to him, which meant he was able to listen in on conversations with her coworkers. At least she hoped it was just that. The alternate, that he could read her mind, was too much to contemplate. 

“I shouldn’t be surprised that he spies on us.”

_ But I am surprised that he pays attention. _

She took her seat at her new, human-sized chair.


	34. Delivery

“The portal is opening. Please stand clear.”

Sarah stepped forward eagerly, seeing her father waiting on the other side. He handed over a large cardboard box. 

“I don’t like this very much,” he frowned, “Are they not treating you right?”

She was proud of herself for barely hesitating. “Don’t worry, everything’s fine. I’m really starting to get a handle on the job.” She gave him her best smile but, being her father, he didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“Well, if you say so, but call once in a while, ok Honey?”

Before she could respond, the portal snapped shut between them.


	35. Report

Sarah immediately plopped on the ground under the sign. With glee, she pulled out her laptop. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it certainly beat an old flip-phone.

“I’ll have to ask Hoggle for the wifi password,” she murmured as it booted up. She should have been surprised that there even  _ was _ wifi in this backwards place, but the cellphone worked, so there was at least some technology. 

She quickly typed up a report to be emailed later, including a few sharp words about failure to inform her that there was not actually a Human Ambassador for her to work under.


	36. Lost

As she’d feared, Sarah spent much of her time in the castle lost. She’d managed to work out the way from the sleeping quarters to the offices but beyond that the rooms seemed to constantly shift. Fortunately, there was usually a goblin nearby and they were generally quite happy to lead her wherever she needed to go. They demanded payment, of course, but were usually satisfied to accept nursery rhymes and children’s songs as reward.

Sometimes she looked out over the Labyrinth that surrounded the city and felt very glad that she had no need to try and solve it.


	37. Call

“Hello?”

“Hey Tobes! How ya doing, kid?”

“Sarah!”

“It’s me! What’s up?”

“Ugh, homework. How’s your job? What’s the Goblin Kingdom like? Are the goblins cool??”

“The job is… fine. The Goblin Kingdom is wild. It’s not nearly so touched by humanity as most of the other realms. It’s really like an entirely different world. And the goblins are bigger troublemakers than you, and there’s like a million of them!”

“Ah man, I wanna visit!”

“Eh, maybe once things are more… settled. There’s not really much in the way of human accommodations here.”

“Really? Where do you sleep?”

“Don’t ask.”


End file.
